Everybody is fascinated with True Crime nowadays—but happens when that obsession with real-life gruesomeness turns into an appetite for more and more? That’s the focus of “The Killing Jar,” a new story by Laurie Penny about a young woman who gets an internship with a serial killer.

Wicked City was a serial killer show on ABC that relied heavily on 1980s Los Angeles nostalgia—including, but not limited to, setting crucial scenes on the Sunset Strip. It was also filled with unlikable characters and a cops-n-killers parallel storyline that never found its stride, and viewers tuned out in droves.

Well, that’s an enticing array of names. Netflix and David Fincher—who’ve already made magic with House of Cards—are adding Charlize Theron to the mix for drama series Mindhunter, which is based on the true-crime classic by legendary FBI profiler John Douglas.

Not every encounter with a serial killer ends in death, just like not every kidnapping victim dies in captivity. Today, we take a look at five people who not only survived their violent ordeals—but played an important part in bringing their attackers to justice.

It’s Halloween at the Hotel Cortez, and the “Mount Rushmore of murder” gathers for Mr. March’s annual soiree. The exclusive guest list has a new name this year: John Lowe, who soon rather regrets his decision to attend. Nearby, another major character makes her own regrettable choice.

ABC’s new serial-killer drama, Wicked City hopes to capitalize on your 1980s nostalgia. It’s set on Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip in the early 80s, and it’s chock full of Billy Idol. But is it worth your time? We’ve seen the pilot, and here are our spoiler-free impressions.

A Peruvian man suspected of six brutal slayings in Japan may be the younger brother of Peru’s most prolific serial murderer, a diagnosed schizophrenic known as the “Apostle of Death” because he claimed God urged him to kill.

It was called “the grisliest murder in memory in Japan.” In 1997, a 14-year-old Kobe boy murdered 11-year-old Jun Hase and left his victim’s sawed-off head on the gate of a school, with a message taunting police stuffed in the mouth.

Hannibal may be ending its NBC run on Saturday, but serial killers as entertainment will, no doubt, live on forever. But how accurate are the most popular examples of narrative, non-docudrama works that depict their gruesome habits? We make like Will Graham and investigate.

Danish director Lars von Trier is often referred to as “polarizing,” but if there’s one thing the man behind works like The Kingdom, Dogville, Antichrist (pictured), and Nymphomanic knows, it’s how to freak the hell out of an audience. So why not focus on a serial killer next?

Unsurprisingly, the two men credited with coming up with the term "serial killer" worked, together and separately, on some of the FBI's most gruesome cases: John Douglas and Robert K. Ressler. Their careers were so extraordinary they influenced pop culture, and at least one Oscar-winning film.

How do you forgive a monster? A must-read for true crime enthusiasts isthis in-depth profile of Kerry Rawson, who's spent the past 10 years dealing with the psychological effects of finding out that her dad, Dennis Rader, was the notorious BTK serial killer.

Here's some nightmare fodder for you: CNN is reporting that a 26-year-old man has admitted to killing 39 women in the Rio de Janeiro area. If that body count is accurate (otheroutlets are reporting 42 victims), it would place the alleged killer high atop the list of Brazil's most prolific serial killers.

What makes people become murderers? If you are watching shows like Hannibal and Dexter, you'd think it had to do with their exceptionally refined moral sensibilities and sheer genius. This trope is getting tired. Have we forgotten about the horrifyingly commonplace nature of evil?

Based on the wild popularity of shows like Dexter and CSI, it would seem our fascination with the ultra-creepy criminals called serial killers knows no bounds. But why do these unusual murderers exist? And how can insights into their behavior be used against them? Here's what you need to know about the mind of a…

King Kong's monstrous motivations aren't the same as Dracula's — one wants a castle made of bananas, the other a swimming pool full of hemoglobin — but, on a psychological level, their motivations differ too. Here's Chris Braak's monster taxonomy.

James Lewis was accused of putting cyanide into Tylenol capsules back in 1982, causing several deaths. His involvement has never been proved, but now he's self-published a new science-fiction novel called Poison!, which is making people wonder anew.

Psychic detective Maya goes inside a killer's mind... only to see an image of the killer, in the real world, injecting her with something nasty, in The Cell 2. "Nooooooooo!" She screams. Maybe she's watching the same movie we are.